Wild Card is a wild win for Chargers

Wild Card is a wild win for Chargers
January 4 San Diego Union-Tribune

"Darren Sproles scored on a 22-yard run 6:20 into overtime Saturday night to give the Chargers a 23-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in an AFC Wild Card game at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Chargers will play at either Pittsburgh or Tennessee in the second round of the playoffs next weekend.

Sproles, carrying the running back load after the injured LaDainian Tomlinson departed the game late in the second quarter, broke to his left on a second-and-12 call and sprinted to the corner of the end zone.

Late in the third quarter, Sproles had fumbled in the end zone just two yards shy of a go-ahead touchdown.

After turning the ball over deep in Indianapolis territory during the game's final 17 minutes, the Chargers tied the score at 17-17 with 34 seconds to go on a 26-yard Nate Kaeding field goal to force sudden-death overtime.

The Chargers won the coin toss to open the overtime with the ball. Three key penalties against the Colts help the hosts move the ball downfield, including a facemask penalty against linebacker Clint Session that gave the Chargers a first down at the 20.

Sproles lost two yards on first down, then burst to the outside on second down for the winning score.

The win reversed a regular-season loss to the Colts at Qualcomm Stadium and marked the second straight season the Chargers have eliminated the Colts in the playoffs.

Kaeding's tying field goal came after the Chargers - trailing 17-14 since the Colts burned them with a quick-snap touchdown early in the third quarter - had turned the ball over twice deep in Indianapolis territory during the final 17 minutes.

The Colts had taken the lead when quarterback Peyton Manning caught the San Diego defense off-guard with a quick-snap, 72-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Reggie Wayne that wiped out a 14-10 Chargers halftime lead.

The Chargers played the entire second half without Tomlinson, who suffered a groin injury in last Sunday night's AFC West title-clinching win over Denver.

Tomlinson carried five times for 25 yards in the first half and scored the Chargers' first touchdown. But he never returned after leaving the game in the second quarter.

The Chargers had immediate chances to regain the lead after Manning's long pass to Dallas Clark on the Colts' second series of the second half.

On the first, Sproles fumbled a swing pass from Philip Rivers away at the Colts' 2 with 2:05 to play in the third quarter.

Then Rivers was intercepted by Colts free safety Antoine Bethea in the end zone while overthrowing Chris Chambers early in the fourth quarter.

But the Chargers made a final opportunity in regulation count after Mike Scifres capped a sensational game by dropping a punt at the Colts' 1-yard-line with less than three minutes to play and linebacker Tim Dobbins sacked Manning at the Colts' 1 just before the two-minute warning.

Sproles' 26-yard punt return gave the Chargers a f
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